CHAPTER 1779: CHAPTER 1780: THIS KID ISN’T BAD

At this time, dusk had settled in, and not wanting to spend another night sleeping on tree branches, you quickened your pace.

"Stop!"

As you neared the village, two people jumped down from the trees, each wielding a wooden stick, blocking you from the left and right.

Seeing these two teenagers, you immediately smiled and said to them, "I’m not a bad person, I just want to find a place to stay in the village for one night."

The boy on the left looked up at you; your burly figure seemed as imposing as a giant to them. Perhaps because of the invisible pressure you carried, he took a few steps back, pointed the stick at you, and shouted, "Without the village chief’s permission, no one can enter the village!"

"You don’t look like a good person, leave quickly!"

You suddenly laughed out loud, stepped forward to grab the stick from the boy, and effortlessly folded and refolded the thick stick, tossing it at his feet, saying with a grin, "Go back and use it as firewood for your mother. You little brats want to stop me?"

Saying this, you strode forward unexpectedly. The two boys still ran up to you, their faces resolute as they blocked your path, "Don’t think we fear you just because you’re strong!"

"Tsk, why are you guys still pestering me?" You showed some impatience, having not eaten well in two days and intending to have a meal using the coins you found on Lü Kuang once you entered the village. "If I really wanted to harm your village, would I be wasting my time talking with you little brats?"

"We are not brats!"

"Yes, we’re grown up! We’ve even killed people!"

Looking at the two naive teenagers before you, you shook your head helplessly. Moving to the side of the road, you grabbed a large tree, seven or eight meters tall, its trunk as thick as a man could encircle. With a casual shout of "Up", you easily uprooted the tree and then threw it dozens of meters away!

"Alright, can I go in now?"

Though the boys were startled by your mighty strength, they stubbornly shook their heads, firmly refusing to let you into the village.

"Hey, I’m really hungry right now. When a person is hungry, their temper can be very irritable. In a moment, I might throw you far away like that tree, believe me?" You stared at the boys with wide open eyes.

"Sir, please don’t trouble these children." At this moment, an aged voice emerged from the woods off to the side of the road.

Speaking, an elderly man, his hair white at the temples, body hunched, and leaning on a cane, slowly emerged from the surrounding woods.

"Old man, you came just in time. I’ve got to say, your village is strange, letting two kids who haven’t even grown a beard stand guard. Aren’t you afraid someone might hurt them too easily?" You looked down at the old man, although you wouldn’t harm an elder, some posturing was necessary.

The old man looked at you with a calm face and slowly said, "Sir, I wonder what brings you to our remote mountain village?"

"Nothing much, I see it’s getting dark, so I came to borrow a place to stay and have a good meal. Of course, I’ll pay."

Upon hearing this, the old man nodded and said, "Since you’re here to borrow lodging, please follow me, sir."

You responded, and as you passed the two boys, you couldn’t help but tousle the hair of one of them before laughing heartily and leaving.

Following the old man, you arrived at a straw hut. He called into the house, "Wife, we have guests, prepare some extra food."

"Alright!" A feeble response echoed from inside.

The old man pointed at a neatly polished stone in front of the door and said to you, "Sir, please sit."

"Where to sit?"

Looking around, you saw five slightly shorter stones beside the larger one, their surfaces also polished to appear smooth and clean. You sat down boldly, finding the height just right for resting comfortably. You immediately praised the old man, "You folks have got a good setup here, makes eating easy and hassle-free."

For the past month, you had been eating with the army cooker in the mixed soldier camp, in the tent, separate from other infantry. It was your privilege, and initially, some protested and tried to enter the cooker’s tent, all of whom you severely rebuffed. Unlike the infantry eating on the grass, the army cookers ate around low tables.

These so-called tables were short, less than eighty centimeters high, with their legs short. The cookers knelt on mats, their posture learned from the Japanese. For this reason, someone even got a slightly taller table. Kneeling to eat was genuinely not enjoyable.

Soon, an old woman came out from the house, carrying a plate with unsteady steps.

Seeing this, you hurried forward, taking the plate from her hands, and laughingly said, "Auntie, you’re struggling to walk, better not move around too much, better I take the things, lest you fall and hurt yourself."

Saying this, not waiting for the old woman to speak, you placed the plate on the stone, then went inside and came out again, holding a large bamboo sieve piled high with buns.

Seeing you bring out the entire bamboo sieve, the old man and woman were visibly surprised. The old man hurriedly said, "Sir, these are prepared for others, yours are separate..."

"Prepared or not, these buns aren’t enough to fill my teeth," you said, putting the sieve on the stone, then taking out a bag of coins from your pocket and throwing it to the old man, "There’s more than enough money here, no need to give back the change."

You were generous, naturally seeing that the old man’s household was poor. When dealing with the needy, your heart was always soft.

The old man looked at the heavy bag of coins in his hand, speechless for a moment. He had thought you were there to freeload, but who would’ve thought that they’d benefit instead.

You paid no mind to the old man’s exaggerated expression and ate heartily. The old woman watched you, occasionally bringing you a bowl of water, afraid you might choke. As someone with experience, the old woman saw your true nature at a glance, thinking to herself, "This kid, not bad."

Having burped heartily, you consumed nearly half of the old man’s family’s supply, but the money you gave was enough for dozens of meals.

By then, night had fallen, and you noticed some adults returning from working in the fields. Knowing you were just passing through, you didn’t ask much about the affairs here. Since arriving in this world, you’d gotten used to people’s routines; once it got dark, they went to bed and rested.

In the morning light, you asked the old man for directions to Zhen Ding.

Hearing you were heading to Zhen Ding, the old man turned pale and urgently advised, "Sir, you mustn’t go to Zhen Ding!"

Frowning, you asked, "Why?"

"Recently, a group of robbers came to Zhen Ding, occupied Changshan, specifically robbing passing merchants. Just two days ago, they even entered Zhen Ding County and killed many people!"

Hearing they were robbers, you casually shrugged and laughed, saying, "Look at my outfit, I’ve got at most a dozen copper coins on me. They wouldn’t bother robbing me, would they?"